Image recording apparatuses, such as ink-jet printers and laser printers, includes a sheet feed tray and a sheet discharge tray. Recording sheets to be used for recording of an image are accommodated in the sheet feed tray. A recording sheet is fed from the sheet feed tray. An image is recorded on the fed recording sheet during the conveyance thereof. The recorded recording sheet is discharged to the sheet discharge tray. Among this type of image recording apparatuses, a so-called in-body discharge type image recording apparatus in which a sheet discharge tray is provided inside a main body is known.
An image forming apparatus described in JP-A-2001-063898 includes an image reading unit and an image forming unit. In this image forming apparatus, an image of a document is read by the image reading unit and the image of the document is recorded on a recording sheet by the image forming unit. The recording sheet on which an image has been recorded is discharged to a sheet discharge tray. The sheet discharge tray is provided between the image reading unit provided in an upper portion in the main body, and the image forming unit provided in a lower portion thereof. The sheet discharge tray is inclined so that the leading end of the recording sheet in its discharge direction may become lower than the trailing end of the recording sheet. Thereby, since the top surface of the sheet discharge tray is directed to the outside of the image forming apparatus, a user can easily take out the recording sheet from the sheet discharge tray, compared with a case where the sheet discharge tray is provided horizontally.
JP-A-5-116830 discloses a configuration that facilitates take-out of a recording sheet discharged to a position apart from the front of a main body in which an operation panel is provided. In the image forming apparatus described in JP-A-5-116830, a discharge tray and a discharge port is provided on a lateral side of the main body. A recording sheet on which an image has been recorded is discharged to the discharge tray. The discharge port allows the recording sheet to be taken out of the sheet discharge tray therethrough. The recording sheet on which an image has been recorded is discharged to the sheet discharge tray on the rear side of the main body. The sheet discharge tray is inclined so that the front side of the main body may become lower than the rear side thereof. For this reason, the recording sheet discharged to the sheet discharge tray slides from the rear side of the main body to the front side thereof along the inclined sheet discharge tray. This facilitates take-out of the recording sheet from the front side of the main body.
JP-A-5-116830 also discloses a configuration that makes the sheet discharge tray rotatable between a horizontal posture in which the sheet discharge tray is disposed horizontally, and an inclined posture in which the sheet discharge tray is inclined as mentioned above. As a user pushes down the sheet discharge tray on the front side of the main body, the sheet discharge tray rotates which facilitates take-out of a recording sheet from the sheet discharge tray.
In the image forming apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2001-63898, the sheet discharge tray is inclined. Therefore, the space occupied by the sheet discharge tray increases compared with the case where the sheet discharge tray is provided horizontally, which may increase the size of the apparatus. In the image forming apparatus described in JP-A-5-116830, it is necessary to provide the space for allowing the sheet discharge tray to rotate, which may increase the size of the apparatus similarly to the image forming apparatus described in JP-A-2001-63898.